La Paloma at the Wall

“La Verbena de la Paloma,” one of the most famous Spanish zarzuelas, is given new life in this version set at Friendship Park, on the Tijuana side of the border between Mexico and the United States.

Resonating with America’s cultural climate, this new adaptation of “La Verbena de la Paloma,” one of Spain’s most beloved zarzuelas, deals with human migration, political and geographic borders, and the effects of a wall on human life. The story is set at the US/Mexico border between Tijuana and San Diego, where a migrant woman from Central America, deported when seeking asylum in the US, waits for news of the daughter from whom she’s been separated. La Paloma at the Wall features Mexican folk dance and brings Spanish composer Tomás Bretón’s melodies to life by an ensemble inspired by traditional Mexican son jarocho music. Here, despite separation, cultures, lives, and spirits intersect, rise, and go on.

Showtimes

• On Saturday, March 23 at 8 pm. Press night. Buy tickets.
• On Sunday, March 24 at 2 pm. Followed by a Q&A. Buy tickets.
• On Saturday, March 30 at 8 pm. Buy tickets.
• On Sunday, March 31 at 2 pm. Buy tickets.

Creative team

• Nick Olcott, Director.
• Ulises Eliseo, Music Director and Composer.
• Anna Deeny Morales, Playwright and Librettist.
• Alejandro Gongora, Choreographer.
• Marianne Meadows, Lighting Design.
• Jonathon Dahm Robertson, Scenic Design.
• Luis Peralta and Sarah Craft, Art Design and Youth Leadership.
• Donna Breslin, Costume Design.

Conversation: Insight into the making of La Paloma at the Wall, on Monday, March 11 at 7 pm, at the Mexican Cultural Institute. RSVP.